This is a near fine First Edition copy of "The Desert King: A Life of Ibn Saud" by British historian David Howarth, published by Collins, London, in 1964. It's a wonderfully written life of the founder of Saudi Arabia, from his youth as a Bedouin warrior to the heat of World War I to King of a country that would bring unimaginable oil riches, to his death in 1953. Bound in brown textured boards and illustrated with photographs, this copy has very, very slight wear and is clean and tight. The front endpapers are a map of the region in 1901 and the rear endpapers are a map of the region in 1953. The dust jacket is intact with the original price of 30s. net in the bottom corner of the front flap; it is in good condition with wear and tear, but now in an archival protective cover. A nice copy of a important and collectible book.